Plane crashes near East Texas Regional Airport

The Rusk County Sheriff's Office is investigating a plane that crashed near East Texas Regional Airport in Gregg County Thursday evening.

Sgt. David Roberts with the Rusk County Sheriff's Office tells KLTV 7 that the plane went down around 6:30 in a field near County Road 2156D.

The pilot was the only person on board, and authorities say that he was talking with emergency crews on scene. It's unclear if the pilot was transported to the hospital. His name has not yet been released.

Authorities say that the plane was a small "crop duster" aircraft, and only damaged trees when it crashed. No buildings or homes were affected.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been called to the scene, and is expected to begin its investigation on Thursday evening.

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